A police report has been made over a Facebook post defending extremist Singaporean preacher Rasul Dahri, who on Tuesday had nine of his books banned by the Government for promoting extremist views.

A police spokesman confirmed to The Straits Times that a report had been lodged, and they were "looking into the matter".

The post in question is from the Online Islamic Bookshelf Dot Com Facebook page. The post yesterday came to the defence of Mr Rasul, who has also been barred from teaching Islam here.

It also said Mr Rasul's followers would have carried out a bomb attack here a long time ago, if he was indeed a "spreader of violence".

The post came after the Ministry of Communications and Information banned nine books written by Mr Rasul for "extremist religious views" and denigrating remarks about other religious groups.

That same day, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore said that Mr Rasul was known to "maintain exclusivist, hardline and extreme positions" - which is why his application to be a religious teacher here under the mandatory Asatizah Recognition Scheme was rejected.

Mr Rasul is said to have taught the Singapore leader of terrorist network Jemaah Islamiah, Mas Selamat Kastari, in the 1980s in Johor.

On Wednesday, Berita Mediacorp reported on its website that Mr Rasul had been arrested in Malaysia for preaching without accreditation, and for spreading deviant teachings.

It also said that the Malaysian authorities had deported Mr Rasul in February, and he has since been barred from entering Malaysia.

Danson Cheong